Clermont Auvergne

Saracens

The ball lost forward by the away team and the referee blows for FULL TIME

80

Scrum reset

79

The ball lost forward by the hosts at the half way and Saracens have a scrum

78

The reset kick cleared and Saracens surge forward to the 10 of the hosts

77

Spedding takes the kick and puts it right through the middle from over 50 meters

76

Scrum to the hosts at the half way. They win a penalty from the scrum and look towards the posts for a final 3 points perhaps

75

Clermont make quick work of the away team in the scrum but Saracens just manage to scoop the ball out the back. The visitors run to the home team 10 but the referee halts play

74

The ball lost forward by the hosts at the half way and Saracens have a scrum

73

Penalty to the hosts after the reset and they kick into touch around the half way

72

Parra steps up for a kick at goal outside the 5. He takes his kick and levels the score

70

A long pass after the scrum is picked up by Spedding and Saracens give away another penalty. Clermont looking for the advantage but the referee halts play

69

Another scrum to the hosts at the 5

68

Clermont throwing bodies at the try line as they move the ball along the 5

67

Scrum reset again

66

Scrum reset

65

The hosts opt for a scrum at the 5 of the away team

64

Clermont move forward after the restart kick and are determined to regain the lead with the territorial advantaged gained from the kick. Figallo gets himself sent to the naughty corner with a sloppy tackle

63

Farrell sends it wide

62

They move it along the 5 and Lozowski gets it outside the but turns on the pace then slips passed two to score a second Saracens TRY

61

Saracens have it after the penalty and they rush to the 5 but the hosts track back equally fast

60

After much deliberation with the TMO the referee awards Abendanon a yellow card for an earlier infringement.

59

Farrell steps up to take the kick and puts on 3 points

57

The visitors win a penalty outside the 22

56

Saracens win a penalty but fail to kick into touch and the ball is sent back for a line-out to the visitors at the half way

55

Clermont having a bit of trouble leaving their half as they move it around scrappily

54

Penalty to the hosts after the kick off. Scrum to the hosts around their 22

53

He puts it over to tally up his team's score to 18. Every point received from penalty kicks

52

The home team shove Saracens back in the scrum and Parra steps up for a kick at goal

51

Scrum to the hosts outside the 5 of the away team

50

Saracens defending desperately now and the ball is lost forward, giving the away side some time to catch their breath

49

Clermont with relentless attacking as they enter the 22

48

The reset kick is taken down by the hosts and they march their way out of their half into the 10 of the visitors

47

Parra steps up for a kick at goal to put his team ahead for the first time. He does. 3 points

46

Farrell concedes a penalty and the home team have a penalty

45

Clermont kick into touch at the 22 of the visitors and move it to the opposite wing then up again

44

Penalty to the hosts after a high tackle on Parra by Wray. The referee says penalty only

43

The ball tackled into touch by the away team and they have a throw at their 22

42

Spencer with another break and rushes towards the posts but is brought down inside the 5. The ball is lost forward and the referee says scrum to the hosts. Both teams participating in a kicking contest after a penalty to the home team. The ball goes into touch for a kick to Saracens

41

Farrell gets the second half started with a deep kick

Half Time

40

Penalty to the hosts after a decent scrum with Skelton absent from the Saracens pack. Spedding sets up for a kick at goal and makes the gap 1 point as we head into HALF TIME

39

Scrum to the hosts at the away team 10

38

Penalty to Saracens and the ball is kicked into touch. The visitors get rolled in their maul and then lose it forward

37

Clermont make some ground with the maul and the hosts burst forward, reaching the 10 of the away team

36

Line-out to the hosts at their 5 after Farrell pops one through

35

Saracens in possession now, moving it around nicely as they enter the 22

34

The kick is taken and sent wide

33

Saracens win a penalty after an offside and look towards the goal posts

32

Parra sets up for a kick at goal following the card. Parra puts on another 3 points

31

Skelton gets himself sent to the bin for a high tackle

30

Clermont turnover and build from the away team 10

29

Penalty to the visitors from the scrum. They kick into touch at the home team 10 and look for a maul

28

Scrum to the visitors

27

The ball lost forward after a clearance by the away team

26

The hosts have it after the penalty and they make it into the 22 with some aggression

25

Saracens kick it forward along the ground. Clermont move it around quickly and send it wide to Penaud who kicks it forward for himself but the ball is knocked into touch

24

The hosts have it outside the 5. The ball is intercepted by Koch but he doesn't have the pace to break away. The away team do make it to the 5 off the back of the interception

23

Clermont kick into touch around the mid field

22

Saracens take their reset kick and move forward with menace. They lose it as they reach the 5

21

Parra takes his third kick at goal and adds 3 more points

20

Saracens discipline starting to erode as they give away another penalty outside their 22

19

Scrum reset

18

The ball lost forward after a lob into the air. Scrum for the hosts at the home team 22

17

He takes the kick and puts some points on the board for his team

16

Penalty to the hosts outside the 22 and Parra sets up for a second attempt at the sticks

15

The ball is kicked forward with advantage. The shot into nothing almost turns into a try but it bounces into touch as Raka contests the ball with the backline

14

Clermont in possession trying desperately to make some ground towards the Saracens 22 but the away team showing an impenetrable defence so far

13

He takes it and puts it well wide

12

Parra sets up for a kick at goal

11

Clermont win a penalty after some tussling around the mid field

10

Farrell secures the extras

9

Spencer takes it out the ruck and sells a dummy at a bargain price then goes through the middle for a wonderful solo effort and puts it down in between the sticks. TRY

8

The hosts clear after a throw and the visitors look to build from outside the 22

7

Saracens not allowing the hosts any territory, opting to clear when they have possession at their 10

6

He takes his kick and doubles the lead

5

He reviews the play and decides for a kick against the hosts. Farrell lines up another shot at goal from the mid field

4

The ball being kicked back and forth after the restart. Saracens boot in into touch but the referee halts play for another penalty

3

Farrell takes his kick and gets the first points on match day. 3 points

2

Saracens win themselves a penalty as they move towards the 22 of the home team

1

Penalty to the hosts in the opening minutes and the ball is kicked into touch. Clermont lose it in the throw and the ball is cleared

0

The referee sounds his whistle and the game is underway

-3

The players readying themselves to leave the locker rooms now

-5

Clermont have won their two previous home games against Saracens, with both wins coming by double digit margins

-15

When it comes head-to-head, the French side have the upper hand. Thus far, ASM Clermont Auvergne have won six of the nine meetings between the clubs, including a 46-14 victory in Round Three – Saracens heaviest European defeat

-30

Welcome to Stade Marcel-Michelin, where Clermont host the European Champions Cup title holders Saracens in Round four.

Clermont Auvergne

Saracens

START LINE UP

15
Isaiah Toeava

14
Nick Abendanon

13
Peter Betham

12
Remi Lamerat

11
Remy Grosso

10
Luke McAlister

9
Morgan Parra

8
Fritz Lee

7
Alexandre Lapandry

6
Damien Chouly

5
Sebastien Vahaamahina

4
Flip van der Merwe

3
Rabah Slimani

2
Benjamin Kayser

1
Etienne Falgoux

RESERVES

23
Viktor Kolelishvil

22
Scott Spedding

21
Charly Trussardi

20
Arthur Iturria

19
Paul Jedrasiak

18
Davit Zirakashvili

17
Raphael Chaume

16
Yohan Beheregaray

START LINE UP

15
Alex Goode

14
Liam Williams

13
Marcelo Bosch

12
Brad Barritt

11
Chris Wyles

10
Owen Farrell

9
Richard Wigglesworth

8
Schalk Burger

7
Calum Clark

6
Maro Itoje

5
George Kruis

4
Nick Isiekwe

3
Vincent Koch

2
Jamie George

1
Mako Vunipola

RESERVES

23
Sean Maitland

22
Alex Lozowski

21
Ben Spencer

20
Sione Vailanu

19
Will Skelton

18
Juan Figallo

17
Hayden Thompson-Stringer

16
Christopher Tolofua

PREVIEW: Champions Cup, Round Four

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 13:29

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: After a tough weekend last time out in the European Champions Cup, Harlequins are the first of the Premiership sides looking to turn the tables in Round Four.

John Kingston’s side headline a packed Friday schedule across both the Champions and Challenge Cups as the second set of the back-to-back fixtures get underway.

Quins were downed in the snow at the Stoop by Ulster last Saturday, but get their immediate chance for revenge at the Kingspan.

There are few tougher trips than to Belfast under the Friday night lights, and Kingston has already conceded that his side are out of contention for the knockout stages in a competitive Pool One.

Ahead of the match, the Harlequins Director of Rugby said: "We were extremely disappointed to lose to Ulster at home last Sunday; ending our chances of qualification into the quarterfinals of the competition.

"That said, we are really looking forward to the match on Friday night and will be demanding a positive performance ahead of our return to the Premiership."

Quins will be without some of their international contingent, Chris Robshaw and Danny Care are suffering from head injuries while Joe Marler also picked up a knock.

Mike Brown and Tim Visser are on the bench but the likes of Marcus Smith and Jamie Roberts start in the back line and Kyle Sinckler – who scored a try against Ulster on Saturday – and skipper Dave Ward up front all start.

The clubs have met four times previously, each winning two apiece. However, Ulster's two victories have come in their most recent with Harlequins including last weekend. Ulster have scored 19 points in each of their last two home games against Premiership opposition, enough for a one-point win over Exeter and a 10 point win against Wasps. Quins have won just twice on eight previous trips to Ireland, beating Ulster in 1996/97 and Connacht in Round Two of the 2012/13 season. The last time Ulster won a Round Three game away from home they then went on to lose the reverse fixture at home in Round Four (2012/13 v Northampton Saints).

Glasgow have lost just one of the five previous meetings between the clubs (won three, drew one). However, that defeat was at Scotstoun in Round Three. This will be the third time Montpellier have hosted the Warriors, but they are yet to beat them at Altrad Stadium (drew one, lost one). Having won just once on their first 14 visits to France. Glasgow have now won twice on their last four excursions, including a 23-14 win over Racing 92 in their last such fixture. Glasgow are enduring their worst start to a Champions Cup campaign since losing their opening five pool games in 2012/13.

Scarlets have won four of the previous five meetings between the clubs, scoring over 30 points in each of those four victories. Benetton are unbeaten in their last three games when they have hosted Welsh opposition, all of these games coming against Ospreys. However, Scarlets have lost their last 10 away games in the Champions Cup, but they have picked up losing bonus points in their last two such fixtures. The Welsh region are aiming to win successive games for the first time since the opening two rounds of the 2011/12 season.

Last weekend, Leinster became the first side to win at Sandy Park since Bordeaux-Bègles in Round Three last season (including Premiership matches). There were just 15 points scored when the clubs last met in Dublin, only once before have Leinster played out a lower scoring game at home (9-3 v Bordeaux in 1998/99). Exeter are still searching for their first Champions Cup win in Ireland, they did however beat Connacht in the Challenge Cup in January 2015. The 2004/05 season was the last time Leinster won their opening four pool games.

This will be just the second meeting between the clubs in Europe, with Castres winning the first encounter in Round Three by 16-13. Racing have won all three previous matches when hosting Top 14 opposition in the Champions Cup. Similarly, Castres have lost both of their previous two away games against French opposition, losing to Perpignan in December 2006 and Montpellier 10 years later in December 2016. Since reaching the 2016 final Racing have won just twice (lost seven) and scored an average of 15 points per match.

Toulon have won all three matches between the clubs. However, the margin of victory has been between three and five points on each occasion. Bath have won just twice on the last seven occasions they have hosted a Top 14 side, the last team to visit being Toulon in 2015/16 (lost 14-19). Despite averaging just 14 points and only once scoring 20+ points, Toulon have still won five of eight games against Premiership opposition in England. They have both scored and conceded 114 points across those eight fixtures. Toulon have won three from three to date, but those wins have all come by fewer than five points.

This will be the second meeting between the clubs after La Rochelle defeated Wasps 49-29 in Round Three. This was Wasps' heaviest defeat since Round Two v Leinster (41-11) in 2008/09. La Rochelle won their first Champions Cup game in England against Harlequins in Round One. Previously, they had won just one of eight Challenge Cup games on English soil. Wasps drew their last game in France (v Toulouse). Wasps have lost twice already this season, and the last time they lost three pool games in the same campaign was in the 2005/06 season.

Ospreys' win in Round Three ended a run of four consecutive defeats against Northampton. Each of the previous five meetings between the clubs has been decided by margins of more than 10 points. Northampton have lost their last five away games, conceding an average of 36 points and scoring an average of just 13. Ospreys have won just one of their last five home games when hosting Premiership opposition. However, that was their last such game (v Exeter in Round One, 2015/16). Ospreys are aiming to win successive matches in the same season for the first time since a run of three victories in 2009/10 (Rounds Two, Three and Four).

ASM Clermont Auvergne have won six of the nine meetings between the clubs, including a 46-14 victory in Round Three – Saracens heaviest European defeat. Clermont have won their two previous home games against Saracens, with both wins coming by double digit margins. In fact, the Top 14 champions have won their last 12 home games against Premiership opposition. Sale Sharks in 2008/09 were the last English club to win at Marcel-Michelin. Alivereti Raka ran in a hat-trick at Allianz Park, the first time a Clermont player has scored three tries in a match since Round Five in 2011/12 when Julien Malzieu and Sitiveni Sivivatu both crossed three times against Aironi.

Each of the last four meetings between the clubs has been won by the home side on the day with Munster's last victory at Welford Road coming in Round One, 2006/07. Tigers have lost just two of their last 36 home games, those defeats coming at the hands of Glasgow and Ulster. Munster have gone three games unbeaten on the road, they've not got on a longer such run since a run of five wins between December 2005 and January 2007. Only once in Munster's last 13 games have they conceded 20+ points (10-26 defeat to Saracens in last season's semifinal).